Stoneham High School - Wildlife Yearbook (Stoneham, MA)

Page 9 text:

WE ARE MERELY PLAYERS After more than twenty years of devoted service to the Stone - ham School System, Daniel W. Hogan, Superintendent of Schools, retires. 1984 found the United States sending troops into Grenada and Beirut, an action which caused much dissen- sion throughout the world. Thousands of people around the world demonstrated for nuclear disarmament while America and Russia spent billions of dollars on the development of new weapons. George Orwell ' s 1984, a futuristic novel about a society without individuality, created wide-spread anxiety as well as record breaking sales.

Page 8 text:

ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE POLICE BOX SURVEY Do you want Square? □ YES to see the police box returned to Stoneham □ NO Comments (attach extra sheet, if necessary) Drop off or mail as soon as possible to: Stoneham Independent Police Box Survey 11 Franklin St., P.O. Box 111 Stoneham, MA 02180 A landmark of Stoneham, the Traffic Box in the Square, was knocked over in a car accident. The Stoneham Independent, along with many Stoneham citizens, petitioned unsuccessfully for its restoration. The Russian government finally accepted responsibility for the downing of a Korean passenger jet earlier this year. After 22 years, 3000 hits, and 400 home runs, Captain Carl Yastrzemski, known to avid Red Sox fans as Yaz”, retired. Ronald Reagan visited Boston in the fall of 1983 and stopped off at the Erie Pub for a beer with some proper Bostonians.

Page 10 text:

Marius Carstensen Elisa Mas Pekka Tamminen SPECIAL GUEST STARS This year at Stoneham High School we had three foreign exchange students joining our cast The influx of cultural influence wasn ' t overwhelming, but in taking time to talk to our guest stars , it is apparent that they have a lot to add to our senior year. Pekka Tamminen from Helsinki, Finland, Marius Carstensen from Schleswig, Germany and Elisa Mas from Barcelona, Spain, have all added to our senior experience in their own way. Some of their opinions about the United States are the same, some of their feelings about their stays here are different, but each is worth listening to and can provide insight into our own culture as well as theirs. All three seem to feel the same about school. They ' re used to a less structured system, and enjoy more freedom at home. The breaks between classes are up to a half an hour long, and all the students stay in one room together while the teachers move from class to class. School seems to have more of a social atmosphere in the United States, with more of a concern for talking with friends and making plans for the weekend. Marius and Elisa both explained that people don ' t dress up at all for school, they just go there to learn. They all commented on how friendly and nice the people are and it was mentioned that other countries don ' t like foreigners and aren ' t very cordial to them. They were also impressed with the fact that we are eligible for a driver ' s license at 16!A. Pekka doesn ' t like the rush between classes and some of the silly T V. programs. Elisa also dislikes T.V., the disruptive times at which we eat, and some foods such as pickles and ketchup. Marius, at 19, finds the great age differences in high school students difficult, and has a hard time relating to the younger students. All of the students came here to better understand the American people and use the English language. There has been a noticeable improvement in their communication skills already. Pekka was expecting his year here to be more of a vacation, and has found it to be just like normal life. Marius expected his free time to be much like it was at home in Germany -spent with his friends; but he finds he is not doing as many things as he would like to. Elisa thought high school was going to be like it is portayed in the movies. Some things are different, she says, but some are the same. When asked how they liked Stoneham, the answers were very different. Pekka likes having so many things, like restaurants and the movies, right here in town. He says it ' s good that everything is practically in walking distance, but to get anywhere, outside of Stoneham he finds our transporataion system inferior to that of Helsinki. Marius finds Stoneham rather boring and is used to a great deal more action in his home town. There ' s always people doing things in stores, in the streets, wherever you go. He spends his time in Germany out with his friends and at clubs having a good time. Elisa likes the city better, and makes frequent trips to Boston. You can find her at lively Harvard Square poking around Urban Outfitters or at Quincy Market, or the Nickelodeon. She, like Pekka, feels that transportation is easier in her native country; cabs are cheaper, buses more accessible. Still she manages to eliminate boredom by going to parties and dances. Family life in the United States is different to each of our guest stars as well. Pekka feels that families in Finland are as close as those in the United States, while Elisa feels the same, she also thinks families spend more time together here. Marius thinks American families are closer and spend a great deal more time with each other than German families. Pekka, Marius and Elisa all agree that young people here and in their own countries have the same motivations, problems, conflicts and worries. One worry they don ' t have, however is how they will pay for school. Universities are free and all you have to pay for in Finland is room and board. Marius said that the state can provide as much as $300-400 dollars a month towards living in your own apartment and attending school. Elisa feels that with the pressure of college expenses and having to work to finance themselves, Americans grow up faster. We hope that Pekka, Marius and Elisa have enjoyed their stay in the states, and learned as much from their experience as we have learned from them. 6 i